Methods, systems, and apparatuses for producing, generating and utilizing power and energy

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for generating, producing, and utilizing energy.

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the description discussion of several terms used herein follows.

As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” The embodiments described herein are not limiting, but rather are exemplary only. It should be understood that the described embodiment are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Moreover, the terms “embodiments of the invention”, “embodiments” or “invention” do not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

In an exemplary embodiment, Heliostat Driven Reactor Solution may be provided.

This solid-state exemplary embodiment may include a variety of different materials that allow for the conversion of photonic energy into electrical energy. These materials may include a composition of a photonic collector, a mirror, a gain medium, and a photoelectric material. This solid-state device has a unique structure that collects concentrated solar energy and harnesses it as photonic energy. This photonic energy is then converted into useable electric energy within the solid-state exemplary embodiment. The useable, electrical energy may be carbonless and has many potentials to decrease the amount of harmful fossil fuels normally used in electrical energy generation systems.

EXEMPLARY COMPONENTS

This solid-state exemplary embodiment has a variety of possible designs that may allow for the capturing of photonic energy and its conversion into clean, green, and useable electrical energy. A possible design for this exemplary embodiment is as follows:

Photonic Collector: The exemplary embodiment may include a photonic collector that may be formed of a crystalline lattice structure that may collect concentrated solar energy and direct it into a gain medium. This crystalline lattice structure may include a variety of different chemical compositions including, but are not limited to Al₂O₃, Ti³⁺: Al₂O₃, Nd: YAG, Yb³⁺: YAG, Ce: YAG, or any other crystalline lattice structure that has the potential to capture concentrated solar energy. This photonic collector may be designed and fabricated to distribute concentrated solar energy in a way that can be readily captured by the gain medium of this solid-state exemplary embodiment.

Mirror:

Convex or Concave; highly reflective; purpose is to reflect photonic energy supplied by the photonic collector onto the absorption faces of the gain medium within this solid-state exemplary embodiment.

The mirror may include a variety of different chemical compositions in order to create the most optimal face for the reflection of light in the bandgap associated with the photonic collector. Some reflective components that the mirror may use include silver, aluminum, copper, gold, or any other reflective chemical composition that readily reflects light.

May act as a reflector for the photonic collector; photonic energy emitted by the photonic collector may focused on the face of the mirror. The mirror may disperse the light into the gain medium(s) associated with this solid-state exemplary embodiment. The incidence angle of which photonic energy will hit the mirror, may create a reflection angle that is tuned to stimulate the absorption face of the gain medium.

Gain Medium: The exemplary embodiment may include a gain medium that may include a crystalline lattice structure that has the potential to readily capture photonic energy. This crystalline lattice structure may include a variety of different chemical compositions that have the potential to capture and/or amplify photonic energy. These chemical compositions include, but are not limited to, Ti³⁺: Al₂O₃, Nd: YAG, Yb³⁺: YAG, Ce: YAG, or any other crystalline lattice structure that has the potential to capture and/or amplify photonic energy. This gain medium may be designed to readily capture photonic energy supplied by the photonic collector of this solid-state exemplary embodiment. Once this energy is captured, the gain medium may additional components of its design that allow for the photonic energy to be captured within the material.

Photoelectric Material: This exemplary embodiment may include a semiconducting material that may have the potential to convert photonic energy into electrical energy. This process may be commonly referred to as the photoelectric effect. The semiconducting material may be formed of a certain crystalline lattice structure that may include GaAs, InGaN, InP, crystallin silicon, or any other chemical composition that has photoelectric capabilities.

This photoelectric material may also use a reflective material that may increase the captured photonic energy by limiting the amount that exits the material. This reflective material may be formed of copper, silver, gold, or any other chemical composition that has high reflective properties. By limiting the amount of photonic energy that exits the material, the photoelectric material has more potential to generate more electrical energy as there is more photonic energy available to sustain the reaction.

This photoelectric material may also include highly conductive chemical components that allow the excited electrons from the photoelectric material to travel from the material, into the associated circuitry of the exemplary embodiment. This conductive material may include, but is not limited to copper, nickel, aluminum, or any other chemical composition that has low resistance and highly conductive properties.

Coatings

This solid-state exemplary embodiment may include a variety of different coating designs that may allow for the capturing and harnessing of the photonic energy within the system. These coatings may include a variety of different chemical compositions differing in their reflective or anti-reflective properties depending upon their placement within the design. These coatings may also differ in their index matching and transmission potentials as well.

These coatings may be placed on the photonic collector, on the gain medium, the mirror, and/or on the photoelectric material.

Photonic Collector Coating Design

Coatings may be placed on surface of the photonic collector to enhance the materials ability to readily emit the captured photonic energy from the concentrated solar energy. These coatings may include a variety of different chemical compositions that act as a filter for photonic energy. The goal of this coating may be to filter out unusable wavelengths of light and allow for the material to emit wavelengths of light that are most readily absorbed by the gain medium of this solid-state exemplary embodiment. Possible designs that may have the potential for this are as follows:

Dichromatic Coating: This design may include a variety of different chemical compositions and may act as a semipermeable filter for specific wavelengths of photonic energy. The selection of wavelengths is based upon the associated absorption band gap of the photonic collector. This may mean that wavelengths of light that are not within the absorption spectrum will be reflected off the surface of the photonic collector, while wavelengths that are within the absorption spectrum of the photonic collector will be transmitted into the material. This coating may be placed on the surface of the photonic collector where the concentrated solar energy enters the material.

There may also be another dichromatic coating that may be deposited on the surface of the photonic collector that may emit photonic energy. The coating may be formed of a variety of different chemical compositions that are selectively permeable to wavelengths of light that are within the photonic collector's associated emission bandgap.

Anti-Reflective Coating: There may also be an anti-reflective coating deposited on the surface of the photonic collector. This coating may allow for the photonic collector to harness the absorbed concentrated solar energy. This coating may formed a variety of different chemical compositions that are specifically tuned to the absorption spectrum of the materials used in the photonic collector.

Highly Reflective Coating: There may also be a highly reflective coating deposited on the surface of the photonic collector. This coating may be specially tuned for the photonic collector allowing for certain wavelengths of light to lace back and forth within the material. This coating may be tuned for wavelengths of light that are within the photonic collector's absorption bandgap. This coating may prevent excess loss of photonic energy and may allow for the commencement of any sort associated gain potential within the photonic collector.

Mirror Coating Design

Coatings may be deposited on the faces of the mirror to enhance the materials ability to reflect specific wavelengths of light from the photonic collector onto the absorption faces of the gain medium. Coatings may be tuned to be reflective towards light that is within the absorption spectrum of the gain medium and may filter out other associated wavelengths that are not within this spectrum. Therefore, wavelengths that are within the gain medium's absorption spectrum may be instantaneously reflected by the mirror onto the absorption face of the gain medium associated with this solid-state exemplary embodiment. Possible designs that may have the potential for this are as follows:

Highly Reflective Coating: This design may include a variety of different chemical compositions that may act as an effective reflector for certain wavelengths of light in this solid-state exemplary embodiment. Wavelengths of light that are within the absorption bandgap of the associated gain medium may be the bandgap of light that these mirror coatings are designed to reflect. This may decrease in the amount of photonic energy lost upon reflection and may increase the amount of useable photonic energy within the system.

Gain Medium Coating Design

Coatings may be deposited on the faces of the gain medium to enhance the materials ability to absorb, harness, and emit certain wavelengths of light. The coatings may be tuned to the absorption and emission spectrum of the associated gain medium. They may be designed to direct certain wavelengths of photonic energy into the material, while simultaneously allowing for certain wavelengths to exit the material. Wavelengths that are within the gain medium's peak absorption spectrum may be readily transmitted into the material, while wavelengths that are within the gain medium's peak emission spectrum will be allowed to exit the material.

Possible designs that may have the potential for this are as follows:

Dichromatic Coating: This design may include a variety of different chemical compositions and may act as a semipermeable filter for specific wavelengths of photonic energy. The selection of wavelengths is based upon the associated absorption band gap of the gain medium. This may mean that wavelengths of light that are not within the absorption spectrum will be reflected off the surface of the gain medium, while wavelengths that are within the absorption spectrum of the gain medium will be transmitted into the material. This coating may be placed on the surface of the gain medium that is facing the photonic energy that may be emitted by the photonic collector in this solid-state exemplary embodiment.

Anti-reflective coating: There may also be an anti-reflective coating deposited on the surface of the gain medium. This coating may allow for the gain medium to harness the photonic energy that may be emitted by the photonic collector. This coating may be formed of a variety of different chemical compositions that are specifically tuned to the absorption spectrum of the materials used in the gain medium.

High-reflective coating: There may also be a highly reflective coating deposited on the surface of the gain medium. This coating may be specially tuned for the gain medium allowing for certain wavelengths of light to lace back and forth within the material. This coating may be tuned for wavelengths of light that are within the photonic collector's absorption bandgap. This coating may prevent excess loss of the absorbed photonic energy and may allow for the commencement of any sort associated photonic gain potential within the gain medium

Photoelectric Material Coating Design

Coatings may be deposited on the surface of the photoelectric material to allow for seamless transmission of photonic energy from the associated gain medium into the photoelectric material. These coatings may be specially designed to accommodate any difference of refractive index between the materials in this solid-state exemplary embodiment.

Index Matching Coating: This coating may allow for the gain medium's emitted photonic energy to readily enter the photoelectric material with the least amount of resistance possible. It may be specially tuned for the emission spectrum of the gain medium and may allow for this photonic energy to be focused on the face of the photoelectric material that most readily absorbs photonic energy. By allowing this seamless transmission, the amount of photonic energy that is lost may be significantly decreased allowing for more photonic energy to be used for conversion into electrical energy.

This coating may be an antireflective, dichromatic, or any other type of coating that increases the materials ability to transmit light within its peak absorption spectrum, while minimizing reflection losses.

Highly Reflective Coating: This coating may be placed on the other side of the photoelectric material that is not adhered to the gain medium. This purpose of this coating may be to decrease the total amount of photonic energy that is lost and not absorbed by the photoelectric material. This coating may include copper, aluminum, silver, gold, or any other chemical composition that has highly reflective properties. By decreasing the total amount of lost photonic energy, the more photonic energy will be available within the photoelectric material and may be converted into useable electrical energy.

Exemplary Structure

The structure of this solid-state exemplary embodiment includes variety of different geometrical configurations. Some include, but are not limited to a pyramidal structure, a cone structure, cylinder structure, a square structure, or any other type of geometrical configuration that may allow for light to be evenly reflected and dispersed into the gain mediums.

Photonic Collector:

The photonic collector may be placed at the top of this solid-state exemplary embodiment, or in any other location that allows for the photonic energy collected to be evenly dispersed throughout the structure. It also may be placed in a location that it is most receptive towards receiving concentrated solar energy.

The structure for this photonic collector may be a variety of different geometrical configurations that allow for photonic energy to culminate inside the collector and become focused out and either dispersed onto all absorption faces of the photonic gain medium, or onto a highly reflective mirror in this solid-state exemplary embodiment. The geometrical structure may be a cylinder, a pyramid, or any other type of configuration that allows for the most efficient absorption and reflection of photonic energy. Some configurations that this structure may include are as follows:

Cylinder structure: The geometrical configuration must allow for the crystalline lattice structure of the material to absorb and efficiently transmit photonic energy. For instance, a cylinder may be appropriate for certain chemical compositions that may require photonic energy to stimulate the crystalline lattice structure at a specific incident angle. This may be like the design of side-pumped laser systems that currently use this type of geometrical configuration to create a focused beam of photonic energy. In this type of configuration, side pumping the edge of the cylinder may allow for photonic energy may exit the bottom face of the structure in one coherent beam.

Pyramidal structure: This type of geometrical configuration may be applicable for certain crystalline lattice structures that require a prism in order to filter out certain wavelengths of light. In some cases, it may be necessary to use the photonic collector as a filter in order to generate the most efficient bandgap of light that is most readily absorbed by the gain medium's in this solid-state exemplary embodiment. Therefore, this prism may absorb concentrated solar energy and filter out all other wavelengths that are not within the absorption bandgap of the gain medium. The structure may then allow for this specific band gap of light to exit the prism and either be reflected onto the reflective mirror of this solid state exemplary embodiment, directly into the absorption face of the gain medium, or onto any other type of reflector that allows for the gain medium to most readily absorb this culminated photonic energy.

Reflective Mirror

There may be one or more reflective mirrors in this solid-state exemplary embodiment placed within the structure that allows for light to be most readily reflected from the photonic collector and focused on the absorption faces of the gain mediums. The mirror may be flat or curved depending upon which orientation allows for the most photonic energy to be reflected from the photonic collector onto the absorption faces of the gain mediums. Possible designs for a curved mirror are as follows:

Convex: This structure may allow for photonic to reflect off the reflective face of the mirror onto the absorption faces of the gain mediums. This type of mirror may be effective when dispersing photonic energy in multiple different directions inside this solid-state exemplary embodiment. For instance, if the absorption faces of the gain mediums were to be located on the inside of the structure, then the mirror would be designed to reflect light in all directions inside the structure so that photonic energy may enter each of the associated faces of the gain mediums.

Concave: This structure may allow for photonic energy to be converged at a specific focal point. This may be necessary if there is/are one or more specific places where photonic energy is needed to be directed at within the solid-state embodiment. If this is the case, then there may be a need for concave mirror(s) that direct(s) emitted photonic energy from the photonic collector to (a) specified focal point(s). The specified focal point(s) may include but is not limited to the absorption face of the gain medium, or on any other chemically engineered face that allows for the absorption and conversion of photonic energy into electrical energy.

Gain Medium

The structure of the gain medium may vary depending upon the crystalline lattice structure of the material. For instance, it may be a rectangular, cylindrical, pyramidal, or any other geometrical configuration that allows for the absorption and emission of photonic energy within the materials crystalline lattice structure.

The structure of the gain medium may include one or more faces. One face may be referred to as the absorption face. This face may be positioned within this solid-state exemplary embodiment in a location that allows for the absorption of photonic energy emitted by the photonic collector. This absorption face may require fabrication to allow for the most seamless transition of photonic energy into the material.

Polarization: It may be necessary for the gain medium to have one or more sides that have undergone polarization. This may decrease the amount of reflection losses and allow for seamless entrance of photonic energy into the gain medium. This may also be known as a Brewster angle. For instance, to increase the amount of photonic energy that is absorbed into the material, the structure may include one or more faces that are cut at a particular incident angle. This specific incident angle allows for photonic energy of a specific bandgap to readily enter the material. When photonic energy can readily enter the material with minimal losses, there may be more available photonic energy to stimulate any gain potential the material may possess.

Another/other face(s) may be referred to as the emission face. The emission face may be where photonic energy is most readily emitted by the material. This photonic energy may have already been absorbed by the gain medium and may have undergone a specific reaction that has altered the wavelength of the photonic energy. This photonic energy of emitted by the gain medium at an alternative wavelength may exit the emission face of the material.

The material may be fabricated in a particular way that may allow this new form of photonic energy to exit the gain medium and re-enter into the photoelectric material.

Photoelectric Material

The photoelectric material may be positioned within this solid-state embodiment in a particular location that allows for the absorption of photonic energy from the emission face of the gain medium. The purpose of this would be absorb as much photonic energy emitted within the solid-state embodiment and convert it into electrical energy as the system allows.

This photoelectric material may be fabricated and oriented on the emission face of the gain medium in a way that allows for seamless transition from the two materials with minimal reflection losses.

This photoelectric material may have two faces. One face may be placed on the emission face of the gain medium with a specialized coating that allows for seamless transition of photonic energy from the gain medium into the photoelectric material.

Another face of the photoelectric material may be highly reflective. This face may decrease the amount of photonic energy that is lost within the system. The purpose of this would be to increase the total amount of absorbed photonic energy and convert as much of it into electrical energy as possible. This may increase the total amount of useable energy within the solid-state embodiment.

It should be understood that all of the embodiments and examples described herein are merely exemplary and should be considered as non-limiting. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus substantially as described herein.
 2. A system substantially as described herein.
 3. A method substantially as described herein. 